ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Floral Diversity and Vegetation Dynamics
of the Sino-Japanese Vegetation Type
in Ashoran Hills, Pakistan
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1
Department of Botany, Islamia College, Peshawar, 25120 Peshawar, Pakistan
2
Department of Botany, Government Afzal Khan Lala Post-Graduate College, Matta, Swat, Pakistan
3
Department of Crop and Animal Production, Sason Vocational School, Batman University, Batman 72060, Turkey
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Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing China
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Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science and Art, Bingol University, 12000 Bingol, Turkey
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Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
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Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Submission date: 2024-06-20
Final revision date: 2024-08-20
Acceptance date: 2025-02-16
Online publication date: 2025-04-22
Corresponding author
Roohul Amin
Department of Botany, Islamia College, Peshawar, 25120 Peshawar, Pakistan
Alevcan Kaplan
Department of Crop and Animal Production, Sason Vocational School, Batman University, Batman 72060, Turkey
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ABSTRACT
Between 2021 and 2023, a botanical survey was conducted in the Hindukush Mountains of
Ashoran, Kalam, Swat District, Pakistan. As part of this study, 282 plant species from 206 genera
and 73 families were cataloged. The major families include Asteraceae (24 species), Poaceae (22),
Rosaceae (17), Fabaceae (14), Lamiaceae (14), Polygonaceae (10), and Ranunculaceae (10). Dicotyledons
dominated with 219 species, followed by monocotyledons (39), pteridophytes (13), and gymnosperms
(11). Herbaceous plants were the most common (188 species), followed by trees (35), subshrubs (24),
and shrubs (23). Perennials were predominant (217 species), with annuals and biennials accounting for
59 and 6 species, respectively. Therophytes were the most common life form (85 species), followed by
geophytes (54) and hemicryptophytes (52). Analysis of leaf size revealed that nanophylls dominated
(37.23%), followed by microphylls (25.88%), mesophylls (18.79%), and leptophylls (14.89%). Quantitative
ecological techniques were used, with quadrats of 1 m2 for herbs, 5 m for shrubs, and 10 m for trees.
Data on the 282 species and environmental parameters were analyzed using Two-way Indicator Species
Analysis and Detrended Correspondence Analysis using Juice software version 7.1 and R program
version 3.6, identifying five distinct plant communities. The Cedrus-Polygonum-Quercus community
was located at an altitude of 2062-2112 m (18 territories, 25 species). The Quercus-Sorberia-Indigofera
community was located at an altitude of 1982-2560 m (17 plant species, 101 species). The Origanum-Quercus-Seriphedium community was found at an altitude of 2281-2560 m (21 quadrats, 146 species).
The Thymus-Rumex-Poa community was located at 2596-3115 m (17 quadrats, 127 species). The
Abies-Betula-Picea community was located at 2405-3009 m (33 quadrats, 170 species). Vegetation
was variably disturbed due to deforestation, overgrazing, and agricultural expansion, with some areas
heavily impacted by human activities.